You're Safe Now
by breadmakesyoufat
Summary: after 3x01. The apartment was a mess. Chairs flipped over, the cupboards in the kitchen area were all open and spilling out pots and pans, a vase of flowers was smashed on the floor. The entire place smelled of burnt pancakes, and there was a haze of smoke hovering in the room. Audrey's hands flew to her mouth as she scanned the damage done to her home. Audrey/Nathan
1. Let's Get You Home

takes place immediately after the events of 3x01 (contains spoilers for 3x01 too), where Nathan is taking Audrey home after they resolved the "alien" trouble and abduction. This episode was perfect, I think, so of course I wanted to add to the ending!

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Sitting in the Bronco was a welcomed comfort for Audrey after the events of that evening. She hugged the Haven PD jacket closer to her body, trying to gather up all the warmth she could. Her hand still stung from where the glass had cut into her flesh, reminding her of the pain she had endured while trying to get away from her kidnapper.

Nathan was beside her, driving a little slower then normal as they headed towards The Grey Gull. She could see him glancing her way periodically, but chose not to acknowledge it. The look on his face when he had seen she was alright, and the hug they had shared were fresh in her mind, and Audrey was trying to cling to those moments of relief, focusing on that rather then the man who had kidnapped her, beat her, and killed the hotel owner before burning her body.

A shiver ran through Audrey's body, and Nathan must have noticed, because he immediately reached over and turned the heat up a bit more. "Parker…" his voice was quiet, careful. When she didn't respond or turn to look at him, he cleared his throat. "Parker, you're going to be alright. You're the toughest person I know, and you're safe now."

Audrey was quiet for a few long seconds before speaking. "Am I?" Nathan turned to look at her, his eyes sad. "Nathan, that man came into my home. He abducted me and tied me up where no one knew where I was. He beat me, and threatened me, asking me all these questions about Lucy, assuming I had the answers. This man knew more about me then I know about myself, and he…" her voice trailed off, and she swallowed the lump in her throat "he killed that woman. He burned her body, after I promised her I would help her get home safely." She finally turned her head to look at Nathan, and he could see the fear in her eyes. "Am I really going to be okay? I'm not so sure anymore. This man could have easily killed me if he wanted to. He knows where I live, Nathan…"

Nathan was just pulling into The Grey Gull parking lot. He turned off the ignition and shifted on his seat so he was facing her. "Parker, I'm not going to let anything happen to you. You're safe now." When she didn't look at him, he reached over and touched her shoulder. "Parker, look at me." Audrey's head turned towards him, and he gave her a little smile. "You're safe now. Let's get you inside."

Audrey studied his eyes for a long moment before nodding, not looking entirely convinced, but willing to hear him out. Nathan gave her shoulder a little squeeze before opening his car door and stepping out. He came around the car and helped her down out of the Bronco, and followed her up the stairs to her apartment.

Audrey paused in front of the door, looking at it with a sense of dread. Nathan stopped with her, looking at the door. He looked down at Audrey, seeing the way she was staring, and stepped ahead of her, gently pulling the door open and hitting the light switch inside.

The apartment was a mess. Chairs flipped over, the cupboards in the kitchen area were all open and spilling out pots and pans, a vase of flowers was smashed on the floor. The entire place smelled of burnt pancakes, and there was a haze of smoke hovering in the room. Audrey's hands flew to her mouth as she scanned the damage done to her home.

"Stay by the door, there's glass all over the place" Nathan said as he stepped into the apartment, turning off the grill in the kitchen and opening a few windows. Audrey did as he said and stood there, gripping her coat and watching as Nathan tried to sweep up all the glass around the kitchen table.

"Why did he…" her voice was weak and trailed off as she looked over to her bed, where the sheets were ripped. "What was he looking for? He did all this after I was knocked out…"

Nathan dumped all the glass he could find in her trash bin, which has also been thrown across the room, and went to her bedside to find her some shoes. "I don't know, Parker. Maybe he thought he would find something relating to where the Colorado Kid is now." He came back to the door and placed a pair of her flats by her feet. "Here. So you don't cut your feet on any glass I missed."

Audrey thanked him in a small voice and slid the shoes on, walking past him and into the wreckage of her apartment. Nathan watched her go from corner to corner, seeing what had been broken and what was still intact, his eyes studying her body language. Finally, she picked a chair up off the floor and sat on it gingerly, looking over at him. "Nathan, I don't know if I can stay here tonight" she said honestly. "This place is a mess, and it'll take days to clean, and even when it is clean, I need to sleep here, and the locks on the doors need to get changed and…" her voice trailed off again when she saw the shriveled up, black pancake on the grill by the sink. She looked at it for a while before turning her head back towards the door to look at him. "I had this really nice dinner planned for us." Her voice cracked, and Nathan noticed how she was pulling the coat tighter around her small frame. He started walking towards her as she continued talking. "I was making pancakes, and had these nice flowers set out on the table. And I lit some candles, and picked out this shirt, because it's one of the nicest ones I have…" Her fingers were playing with the hem of her silky shirt now, and she looked utterly defeated.

Nathan knelt in front of her, putting his hands on the arm rests of the chair she was sitting in, and looking up at her. "Parker, I'm sorry this didn't turn out how we wanted. I was looking forward to having dinner with you." His voice was soft, and it pulled her eyes up to his own. "I spent too long trying to pick out which tie I should wear, out of the three I own, and wondering if I was overdressing, or if I should buy you flowers before I came over to meet you." The corners of Audrey's lips turned up in the smallest of smiles as she looked down at him, mirroring his own small smile. "I'm just relieved that you're home now. When I came here and saw that you were gone…"

Audrey reached down and gently placed one of her hands on his, feeling the way his grip on the arm rest tightened, and seeing the way his eyes fluttered closed and his lips parted slightly. She loves the way he reacts when she touches him, even though she knows it's partially because he spends all his time entirely numb. She slowly stoked his hand with her fingers, watching as his eyes slowly opened to look at her.

"You can come stay at my house tonight, if you're not comfortable staying here." Nathan said finally. "I'm not sure I'm comfortable leaving you here alone after all this, to be honest. I have a spare room you can sleep in, and tomorrow we'll work on changing your locks and cleaning this place up once you're rested."

Audrey took another look around the room and sighed. "Thank you Nathan." She let go of his hand and he got up. She stood slowly and tucked the chair under the table, trying to add one little piece of normalcy to the room. "Just let me grab some clothes, and we can go."

* * *

that's it for chapter one! originally this was just going to be one long fic, but i've decided to split it into a few pieces. I already have the second half mostly written, so it'll be up soon enough! thanks for reading, and hope you liked it.


	2. Nathan's House

I lied. there's going to be one more chapter after this one! hope you're enjoying it so far!

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Nathan carried Audrey's bag to his house once they arrived. Audrey followed him slowly, taking a good look at the outside of his house, and thinking how it suited him. It was a comfortable looking place, single story, with a lovely pine tree in the front yard. Nathan unlocked the front door and ushered her inside, closing the door behind them and turning the lock.

Slipping her shoes off beside his own, she wandered into his living room, looking around curiously. She'd never been inside his house before, and found herself wanting to see where Nathan lives. Nathan watched her silently from the door for a minute, amused by now interested she seemed with his living space.

"C'mon Parker, I'll show you the guest room." Audrey turned to his voice and followed him down the hall, glancing at the paintings on the walls as they went. He stopped at the end of the hall and turned to the right, flipping a switch on the wall and walking into the room. It was a simple room with a queen size bed with flannel sheets, a chest of drawers, and a desk tucked into the corner. Nathan walked in and placed her bag on the bed, turning to watch her enter the room. "Is this okay?" he asked, watching her.

"This is perfect Nathan, thank you" she said, touching the wood of the drawers and looking over at him.

"Are you hungry? I could make us something to eat." Nathan offered, moving towards the door.

Audrey gave him a small smile and nodded. "Yeah, that'd be great. I'm starving." She went over to the bed and opened her bag to get her clean clothes out. "Just not pancakes" she added with a small laugh, but Nathan saw the pained look on her face.

"The bathroom is right across the hall if you want to take a shower. I'll put some clean towels by the sink for you, and then go see about some food" he said softly and left the room.

Audrey sighed and sat down on the bed, putting her head in her hands. Once she'd collected her thoughts, she grabbed her sweatpants and tanktop she'd packed, and headed over to the bathroom. It was a small room with a walk-in shower, toilet, and a sink with a mirror. Mostly what stuck out to her was how much it smelled like Nathan's cologne. She took a deep breath in and smiled to herself. She'd always loved the way he smells. She found the light and closed the door, putting her clean clothes on the toilet seat cover and placing her hands on the towels Nathan had put out for her, looking at her reflection in the mirror.

Her cheek was already starting to bruise, she noticed, gently touching it until it started to sting. She quickly shed the coat Nathan had given her and went to turn on the water, testing its temperature with her good hand before stripping down and stepping in.

Once she was clean and dressed, she walked back over to her room and shoved her dirty clothes back in her bag. A gentle knock came from the door and she turned to see Nathan. "Food's ready. I hope you like pasta, it's all I had to work with." Audrey nodded and followed him down the hall towards the kitchen.

Audrey could smell the food before they even entered the kitchen, and her stomach rumbled in anticipation. Nathan had set the table in the kitchen already, so they both sat down opposite each other. Audrey noticed the flowers on the table and the candles immediately, and gave Nathan an amused look.

"Since our dinner didn't go as you planned, I thought I could try to make up for it." Nathan said softly, admiring the way she looked in the candle light. "I know it isn't nearly as nice as what you had put together…"

"Nathan, this is lovely" Audrey whispered, reaching out to touch one of the flowers. "Where did you get these?"

"Out back." Nathan said simply. "They grow wild just outside my back porch."

"Nathan, thank you." Audrey's voice was still quiet as she reached across the table and gave Nathan's hand a little squeeze. His eyes never left hers as he gently squeezed back, the corners of his mouth turning up in an easy smile.

They ate quickly since both of them were starving, Audrey continuously telling Nathan how good it was, and Nathan telling her how he likes to cook and is happy she likes it. Nathan got up and gathered the dishes, heading for the sink while Audrey finished the last of her tea.

"Here Nathan, let me help with the dishes" she said, standing up and following him over to the sink, where he was in the process of filling it with hot water.

"Parker, I got this. You go lay down and rest." Nathan got a cloth from the counter and started washing one of the plates.

"No, Nathan, it's the least I can do after everything you've done for me." Audrey said stubbornly, reaching over to take the cloth out of his hand. Instead of grabbing the cloth, she ended up grabbing his hand, sending a warm current up Nathan's arm. He stepped back in shock, and the contact was broken. Audrey looked up at him, just noticing how close she was standing to him, and looked away. "Sorry, I didn't mean to-"

Nathan reached over and took her hand again, feeling how smooth it was, and the slick texture of soap on both their hands. Audrey's breath caught in her throat as he put the plate he was washing back in the sink, and used both his hands to gently touch hers. She looked up to see him studying their intertwined hands, a slight furrow in his brow, and found her heart was racing. Nathan noticed her staring at moved his eyes over to study her face. They stared at each other for a few long moments before one of Nathan's hands left hers and went up to stroke her cheek, where the bruise was starting to turn different colors. Audrey didn't move until he touched her, sucking in a breath of minor pain when he accidentally applied too much pressure, causing her bruise to lash out.

Nathan pulled away immediately. "Audrey, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-"

"No Nathan, it's fine. It's just a little tender, is all." Audrey said quickly, stopping him. Nathan observed her for another moment before a small smile escaped his lips, and he chuckled lightly. "What?" Audrey asked, mirroring his smile.

"You have soap bubbles on your face" Nathan chuckled, pointing to the cheek he'd touched.

Audrey's eyes widened slightly and she went to touch her face, but just ended up spreading the bubbles around. Nathan chuckled more and reached for a dry cloth, drying his hands and then gently rubbing it on her cheek. Audrey was a little pink when he pulled away, whispering thanks. Nathan smiled at her and put the cloth on the counter.

"The dishes can wait until the morning. Let's get you to bed" he said, gently touching her shoulders and turning her towards the hallway, ushering her back to her room. Audrey didn't resist, and turned on the light for them as they entered the guest bedroom. "Is there anything else you need? I can't tell you how comfortable or warm the bed is, since…"

"It looks fine, Nathan, don't worry about me" Audrey said quickly, turning around and giving him a reassuring smile. "I'm so tired I'd sleep on the floor if I had to" she said jokingly, trying to lighten the mood.

Nathan nodded and turned to leave. "My room is the door beside the bathroom across the hall if you need anything." He turned back to look at her once more. "Goodnight, Parker."

"Goodnight Nathan."


	3. Toughest Person I Know

this is the final part to my short fic about these two amazing characters. it's a longer one, because I wanted to get a lot out without cutting it into another chapter. fingers crossed they work things out in the show, now! thank you to everyone who read and favourited and reviewed!

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It was the crying that woke him up.

Glancing at the clock on his bedside table as he quickly pulled his only pair of pajama pants on told him it was after 3 in the morning. Another cry, louder this time, came from the room across the hall, making him cringe.

Nathan opened his bedroom door and crossed the hall in a few steps, opening the door to Audrey's room and hitting the light switch. She was laying in bed, her sheets wrapped around her legs and her hair all over the pillow, a look of distress on her face. She cried out again and rolled over frantically in her sleep, as if trying to escape from someone. It pained Nathan to see her like this.

He quickly went to her bedside, sitting on the edge of the bed and gently grabbing her shoulders. Her response was immediate and violent, twisting and turning while tears ran down her face, trying to escape his touch.

"Parker" he said firmly, giving her shoulders a squeeze. He noticed how cold and clammy her skin felt, and his hands tightened with worry. "Parker, you're okay, but you need to wake up."

Audrey whimpered and tried to roll over, her face turning away from him. Nathan let go of one of her shoulders to smooth her hair off her face before gently touching her cheek. "Audrey, you're safe now. There's nothing here to hurt you" he said in a low voice, continuing to gently reassure her with his soft touches. "Just wake up."

Audrey continued to cry and whimper for a few more minutes while Nathan whispered reassuring words to her, until finally her eyes flew open with a cry and she shot up in bed, nearly colliding with Nathan head-on.

Initially a look of confusion crossed her eyes at her unfamiliar surroundings, causing her to instinctively shrink away. "Parker…" Her teary eyes jumped over to Nathan, who smiled when he caught her eyes. "It's okay, Parker, you were having a nightmare."

She stared at him for a few long moments before a quiet sob escaped her lips. "Nathan…" It came out choked as she lunged towards him, wrapping her arms around his torso and burying her face in his chest. It took Nathan a moment to react, the shock of her arms connecting with his bare chest, but he quickly pulled her in tight and held her, rubbing her back with one of his hands while she collected herself.

They didn't move for quite some time. Nathan didn't let her go until she pulled away first, soaking in the feel of her arms around his bare chest, but wishing it was happening under happier circumstances.

When Audrey's sniffles and shakes finally subsided, she gently pulled away, straightening out. She avoided his eyes while she rubbed at her face, hoping she didn't look too horrid. "Well, this is sort of embarrassing…" she admitted in a low voice. "I'm not usually the one to play the damsel in distress."

Nathan smiled lightly as he watched her try to hide her face from him. "You're nothing close to a damsel in distress, Parker. Don't worry. You went through a traumatic event and you're not over it yet. There's nothing wrong with that." His voice was gentle, and it pulled her eyes up to meet his. "You're still the toughest woman I've ever known."

Audrey gave a little smile and rubbed her eyes again before looking back at him. "Thank you for coming to my rescue."

Nathan returned her easy smile and reached over, gently smoothing some of her bedhead down. "Anytime, Parker. That's what partners are for." Audrey nodded slowly, a look crossing her face that Nathan couldn't decipher before it was gone again. "Are you going to be alright going back to sleep?"

Audrey nodded slowly again, watching as Nathan stood up, but grabbing his hand before he walked away. "Nathan...I don't want to sound childish...and in no way do I want you to feel obligated...but can you stay with me tonight?" Her voice was nothing but a whisper by the end, but her grip on his hand was strong. "It's just…" she continued awkwardly, "I feel safe when you're with me, and I think I'll sleep better knowing you're close."

Nathan's heart raced and his eyes softened. He gave her hand a squeeze, causing Audrey to look up at him. "Of course, Parker. Is it okay if I…" he trailed off, gesturing to the bed.

Audrey's cheeks flushed slightly and she nodded. Nathan gave her hand a final squeeze before letting go and walking back over to the door and hitting the light switch.

He found his way back to the bed and crawled under the sheets, careful to stay on his side of bed, not knowing what her boundaries were and not wanting to make things awkward. "Goodnight, Parker." he whispered, sure that if he could feel it, his heart would be pounding out of his chest.

He felt a hesitant hand reach over and find his, grasping it under the covers and making his breath hitch. "Goodnight, Nathan." came her quiet voice before he felt her lips brush against his cheek, eliciting a small gasp from his mouth that he was sure she didn't miss.

* * *

He came to slowly in the morning, drifting back into consciousness. Birds were chirping outside, and sunlight was streaming through the window, hitting his face and waking up his senses.

A soft moan came from beside him, hair tickling his neck and nearly causing him to jump before the events of the night before came back to him in a flood. Audrey was dozing beside him, one of her arms draped lazily over his bare chest, her head resting on his shoulder, and one of her legs tangled in his. Nathan took note of all the places where her skin was touching his, sending warm signals through his body, trying to contain the overwhelming sense of...presence. He hadn't felt this much of his own body in years, and every time Audrey shifted the slightest amount, little shock waves coursed through him. He could feel the warm sunlight on his neck, where her hair was spread out on his skin.

Nathan sighed in contentment, thinking how he could wake up every morning like this and never get tired of it. He moved his head as slowly as possible, as not to wake her, but to look down at her. She was breathing softly, her mouth open slightly, and she looked beautiful. Nathan lifted his free arm and reached over to lay his hand on her shoulder gently, caressing the skin there. Audrey sighed in her sleep, tightening her hold on his stomach, and making his insides flutter. Nathan smoothed her hair back, and laid a slow kiss on her forehead, reveling in the feel of her skin on his lips.

He felt Audrey stir, waking up, but he didn't move away from her or take his hand off her shoulder, feeling at peace for the first time in a long while, and wanting to see how she reacted when she saw the position they'd gotten themselves into in their sleep.

Another small moan escaped her lips as he felt her stretch out her legs, before opening her sleepy eyes. She didn't move at first, but just stared at his chin, as if trying to register what was going on before she moved. Slowly, her head tilted up to look in Nathan's eyes, which were already looking down at her.

"Good morning, Parker." Nathan whispered with a small smile on his lips.

Audrey still didn't move, just looking up at him with unreadable eyes, until her arm tightened around his stomach once more, making Nathan close his eyes and sigh. "Good morning, Nathan" she whispered back. He looked back at her to see a small smile on her lips as she gazed at him. "Looks like I couldn't stay on my side of the bed." she joked, giving his side a little squeeze.

Nathan let out a breathy laugh. "Looks like it, yes." He rubbed her shoulder with his free hand, feeling little goosebumps rise up to his touch. Audrey sighed and snuggled in closer to him, eliciting a sigh from him as well.

"Nathan…" her voice was a whisper as she pulled herself free from his hand, leaning on an elbow to look down at him. Nathan looked up into her eyes, trying to read her expression. She licked her lips quickly, opening her mouth to say something else, but in that moment her phone went off, pulling them both from the moment. Audrey sighed and rolled over, rummaging through her bag for her phone while Nathan lifted both his hands to his face in silent frustration. He untangled himself from the sheets and got up while she read the message on her phone, deleting it when she saw it was nothing important. She looked over at Nathan standing by the door, a reserved look on his face as he gazed back at her.

"I'll go make us some breakfast" he said, giving her one more look before turning and walking towards the kitchen.

Audrey's shoulders slumped once he left the room, throwing her phone back into her bag. "Stupid, stupid…" she mumbled under her breath. She put her head in her hands, massaging her temples and thinking back to how good it had felt being in his arms.

She heard Nathan coming back down the hall, and raised her head, quickly getting the pained look off her face as she watched him walk back into the room. He didn't say a word, and looked at nothing but her eyes, as he walked around the bed to her side and swiftly leaned down, placing his hands on both sides of her head and kissing her soundly.

Audrey froze up, but her mind raced as she tried to figure out of this was a dream or not. The kiss was soft and gentle, but there was an undoubtable amount of love being communicated in that moment. _'Not a dream. Definitely not a dream!'_ her mind screamed as her heart soared. Nathan gently turned her head, deepening the kiss while a sigh escaped his lips.

Audrey quickly reached up, placing one hand on the side of his face while the other went to his chest, feeling the hard muscles under his skin, and pulling another sigh from Nathan's lips. Gently, she tugged at the back of his head, pulling him down onto the bed. Nathan put up no resistance, moving over her carefully as she laid back down, their lips never parting. He leaned on one elbow, turning so they were both on their sides, running his other hand over her hip and side, making her moan softly.

"Nathan…" His name sounded like silk on her lips, and Nathan smiled into their kiss, hardly believing this was happening. He'd wanted to kiss her like this for so long. He could feel every little touch from her, every breath, every movement, and the feel of her skin on his hands and lips was almost too much for his senses. He broke the kiss and pulled her flush against his body, trailing soft kisses along her jawline before continuing down her neck, feeling her heartbeat against his lips.

Audrey clung to him, breathing heavily, her head spinning. When he finally pulled back to look her in the eyes, she could see all his emotions spinning too, and she knew he'd wanted this just as long as he had, if not longer. A smile broke out across her face, and his smile mirrored it, uncharacteristically unreserved for him when it came to showing emotions. Audrey ran a hand along his face, cupping his cheek, letting out a breathy laugh as he leaned into it, kissing the palm of her hand. "You're beautiful, Audrey." he sighed, looking into her eyes with a smile.

Audrey smiled, and leaned in to rest her forehead on his. "I love it when you say my name like that." she whispered. Nathan smiled, hugging her close and laying back against the sheets, so she was resting on top of him. Audrey laughed lightly and looked down at him, smoothing his hair off his forehead.

"I want you to be happy all the time, Audrey. It pains me to see you upset or scared." he admitted, running his hands up and down her arms.

Audrey smiled at leaned in, placing a slow and gentle kiss on his lips, feeling his hands tighten on her shoulders. "Then I guess you'll just have to stick around, since you're what makes me the happiest." she whispered with a breathy laugh.

Nathan laughed lightly, too. "Parker, that was probably the cheesiest thing I've ever heard you say, and I don't even care."

Audrey laughed more before laying her head down on his chest, holding onto him and listening to his heart beat. "How about I make us some pancakes?" she said after a few minutes.

"I thought you didn't want to eat them, you know, after-"

"I think they're making a comeback." Audrey said, sitting up and looking at him, a smile on her face. Nathan smiled back at her, getting up with her and heading for the kitchen together.

"Toughest person I know."

Audrey reached over and found his hand, intertwining their fingers. "I couldn't do it alone."

* * *

that's it! hope you all liked it. as much as i would love to see them have the heartfelt "I love you, I love you too" moment, I didn't feel this fic needed it. These two seem to be more "actions speak louder", so I tried to keep it at that.


End file.
